Gallardo Superleggera.

Hot on the heels of the Murcielago LP640, the Gallardo Superleggera isn�t just another Lamborghini, it�s something very special indeed. It�s also proof that Lamborghini are a genuine force to be reckoned with. Not just as a maker of exotic supercars but as a manufacturer fit to stand alongside Ferrari and Porsche, both for the standard of its engineering and the state of its growing and impressive car business. With sales up 30 per cent and turnover up 43 per cent, Lamborghini is well on course to achieve its goal of being the most profitable supercar manufacturer in the world. Total production for 2006 was just 2087 cars (compared with 5000-plus for both Ferrari and Aston Martin), yet even this figure represents a massive change of fortunes. Production total is set to increase during 2007, but the Superleggera isn�t going to contribute more than 350 units, as Lamborghini wants to keep it rare and exclusive. So exclusive, in fact, that all of this year�s allocation is sold, despite a 20 per cent increase in price over the regular Gallardo; �150,000. Diehard enthusiasts may feel uneasy at the Audi-coated, iron-fist structure that runs through the formerly chaotic Italian manufacturer, but there�s no arguing with the quality of the end product. Audi�s involvement also bodes well for the future direction of Lamborghini. The Gallardo is full of Audi switchgear, engineering, electronics, and was manufactured in Germany for the first two years of its life (although Audi didn�t advertise the fact). With production on the increase, more of the Italian production line will again be split between Sant�Agata and Ingolstadt. However, this doesn�t detract from the Italian passion that goes into making these phenominal machines.

It�s clear that the master plan is to steer the mid-engined Gallardo sister car, the Audi R8, towards Porsche�s mainstream 911s and Lamborghini towards producing harder, faster and more extreme cars to tackle Porsche�s track-bred models and Ferrari�s F430 Scuderia. The Superleggera is the car to take Lamborghini back to where it belongs. Arriving at the factory, the PR representitive hands me the keys to an Arancio Borealis (orange) Superleggera. The vibrant paintwork is an aquired taste, but having seen one in gunmetal grey, it actually looks more purposeful and suits the proportions more admirably. Squat, square and a low stance, it seaps the kind of hardcore attitude you expect from a stripped version of what was already one of the most back to basic supercars around. Everything you look at and everything you touch reveals the lengths to which head of Lamborghini R&D Maurizio Reggiani and his team have gone to in shaving weight from the Gallardo. Plip the key, open the door and you�re confronted by gloriously glossy one-piece carbon door panels, carbon-shelled sports seats and Alcantara upholstery. The Alcantara is spread over the whole interior, like butter from a knife. It is an aquired taste, especially for a �150K supercar. There�s no denying that�s it a bit over the top, but nevertheless, you know what stable this car has come from.

The engine cover is also made from carbon, as is the fixed rear wing, which can be specified in discreet low-line spec or a more high-rise design, complete with reversing camera. The engine cover�s glass window has been replaced with transparent polycarbonate, while the rear window is made from similarly lightweight Macrolon. Pop the engine cover release, and as you raise it you can feel the difference, the flimsy lid bowing with every movement. I must admit, there is a bit too much visable carbon fibre and interior suade everywhere. Weight saving has never been so in-your-face. The engine develops slightly more power � 9 bhp � over the standard Gallardo. The V10 remains and the power has been increased thanks to a new ECU. New intake and exhaust manifolds have been developed, along with a new reduced back-pressure exhaust system, all of which save weight but also boost�s performance. Judging by the stubby tailpipes, the finished sound should be a goosebump-like war cry. There�s carbonfibre features on the sills and the rear diffuser too, but the highlight for me is the glorious �Skorpious� rims, which are forged from magnesium for minimal weight. Proof of more weight-loss can also be found in the titanium wheel nuts, which clamp the lightweight alloy�s to lighter but stronger wheel hubs. The result is a hefty 100kg weight reduction, dropping the Gallardo to 1420kg. According to Reggiani, ditching four-wheel drive in favour for rear-wheel drive would of shed another 50kg.

Twist the key, and the dash lights spring into life (the calm before the storm) � you know you�re only seconds away from something very special. Twist it further and grin as the starter makes it�s distinctive metallic churn, then get a shiver as ten cylinders come to life, a wall of noise thundering through a free-breathing exhaust system. As the revs drop, the Superleggera settles into a menacing off-beat tickover. Dab the brake pedal, pull back on the right-hand paddle lever and the Superlegerra creeps forward, juddering slightly as the e-gear electronics selects the desired gear and engine revs. The boggo Gallardo has always felt and sounded raw, with plenty of clonks and whirrs. With minimal sound-deadening the Superleggera is even more vocal, sometimes vibrating accross your back and rib cage. If you�re expecting a slick shift, forget it. A conventional H-pattern manual is available as a no-cost option, which I would strongly recommend to opt for � every pull on the paddle lever brings an annoying neck-snap as the e-gear jerks like mad changing through the box. Why can�t anyone get this right? As I turn left out of the factory gates, a quick jab on the accelerator pedal makes the revs jump as if it�s wired to a defibrillator. The back end kicks wide as the power overcomes the ESP electronics. The V10 barks out so loud, I quickly grab second to stop anyone giving me a ticking off when I get back. I suddenly feel ten years old again. Restrained or not, it takes a good mile to appreciate how different the Superleggera feels to the standard car. The Gallardo has always felt grippy and weighty, but has lacked that last few per cent of quick response. In the Superleggera you get the muscular feel but with a new sense of responsiveness. Turn the wheel, and it responds directly. It�s hard to judge the gains without a standard Gallardo for a comparison, but the Superleggera feels more convincing on the road. It cuts through any corner in terrific style and grips like velcro, changing direction with zero inertia. Although it moves, dips and dives without too much fuss, I can�t ignore the terrible ride quality. Because the suspension is set so hard, it has a tendancy to bounce like a stiff spring. It�s as almost as if it can�t cope with the rock hard setting. If you�ve ever experienced a poor, low budget attempt at lowering a car�s suspension ride height, then you�ll know what I mean.

Shortly after the sprint from the factory gates, a left turn on the junction at the top of the road takes you on yet another long, almost straight, smooth road, often frequented by Lamborghini test drivers. Having got use to the Superlegerra, turning into the open, long, flat and sweeping corners, provokes a little understeer thanks to a four wheel drive set up, though the ESP nudges the car neatly back on line without killing too much forward motion, but with the system switched off it feels far more alive and responsive to throttle play. Settled into a perfectly balanced exit speed, the Superleggera cuts through with immense grip, V10 howling and crackling as I wind it up to the rev limiter. It�s a shame that the optional carbon ceramic brakes don�t have the same degree of precision. There�s no arguing that they have the stopping power, but on the road, there�s not much subtlety to the way they work. There�s insufficient bite when you just want to gently cover the pedal, they then bite too hard when you get a little further down the pedal. It�s a trait that�s more annoying the further you drive. Compared with the feel you get from a Porsche or Ferrari equipped with similar brakes, the Superleggera feels clumsy. I�d be lying if I said you can detect the additional nine horse power, but what you do notice is the added ferocity with which the Gallardo�s V10 finds the red line. The top-end of each gear is phenominal, with the last 1500rpm exploding with an exhaust note that sounds like nothing else. The claimed performance improvements are 0.2sec quicker in the 0-62mph time (3.8 seconds), compared to a standard Gallardo. Stopping distances despite the braking issue have also been reduced, the 62mph-0 taking a whole metre less. The Superleggera is an impressive and intoxicating machine. Extremely well constructed, mouth-watering and desirable. This lighter, faster Lamborghini is an interesting drivers� car and one of the finest from Sant�Agata. Unfortunately it doesn�t escape with an easy victory though and it does have those serious flaws like several thorns in its side. The truely terrible semi-automatic paddle-lever gearbox is one of the worst I�ve experienced, and the very firm, and somethimes uncomfortable suspension setting, reported earlier in my review, results in this dreadful suspension ride. With the added lack of brake pedal feel, the Superleggera misses out by a mile being a real sewn-up stripped-out supercar. With these rectified, it could probably be the best out there.

source: www.autoreview-online.com